Laurel Wainwright

Dr. Laurel Wainwright serves as Department Chair in Psychology at UMass Boston. Her research spans neuropsychological, social, and educational aspects of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) while examining family coping mechanisms and early math fluency in neurotypical children.

• Areas of Expertise
  • Autism Spectrum Disorders
  • Family Adaptation
  • Early Childhood Development
  • Educational Psychology

Her lab investigates functional strengths in autistic children and family adaptation during school-age transitions. She teaches Statistics (Psych 370/670) and received the Chancellor's Award for Distinguished Teaching.

Scientific Contributions:

• Published 5+ works on autism family dynamics and child development
• Developed ecological risk models for childhood anxiety
• Examined play behavior as predictor of social functioning